CASE STUDY: LAUNCHING A HEALTH-LED F&B BRAND IN HIGH-FOOTFALL RETAIL

Dr Drinks at Metrocentre

OVERVIEW

Dr Drinks is a food and beverage brand launched in 2025, offering made-to-order smoothies and treats using 100% natural ingredients. Designed for health-conscious shoppers, the menu focuses on speed, freshness and customisation, with all products prepared on site.

To support launch and early growth, the brand partnered with SpaceandPeople to deliver its first physical retail location using the Rock Up and Pop Up service.

BACKGROUND

As demand for healthier food options continues to grow, Dr Drinks identified physical retail as a critical channel to build awareness, generate sales and validate demand in a live trading environment.

The brand needed a way to launch quickly in a major retail destination, test a full menu offering and gather real-time customer insight, without the operational burden or long-term commitment of a permanent store.

OBJECTIVES

  • Launch the brand in a high-footfall retail environment

  • Drive immediate visibility and sales

  • Test the full menu in live trading conditions

  • Capture real-time customer feedback to inform future growth

THE CHALLENGE

Launching a new food concept in a large shopping centre requires the right location, a format built for high-volume, made-to-order service and operational support that removes complexity.

Dr Drinks needed a solution that allowed the team to focus on product quality and customer experience, while SpaceandPeople managed access, compliance and day-to-day operational requirements.

Dr Drinks at Metrocentre

THE SOLUTION

SpaceandPeople delivered a full Rock Up and Pop Up activation at Metrocentre, one of the UK’s largest shopping centres.

  • Access to a high-visibility mid-mall location with strong footfall

  • A custom-designed kiosk built specifically for on-site preparation, speed of service and clear menu visibility

  • Full operational support, covering compliance, logistics and activation management

  • Menu and trading support to optimise the range and reduce surplus

This end-to-end approach enabled Dr Drinks to launch quickly, trade confidently and focus on customer engagement from day one.

“Using the Rock Up and Pop Up service exceeded our expectations. The location gave us instant exposure, the kiosk works perfectly for our menu and the operational support allowed us to focus on serving customers. Seeing people enjoy our drinks and share live feedback has given us real confidence in the brand.”

KEY INSIGHT

The growth of the health-conscious consumer market is here to stay. For food and beverage brands, pop-up retail in high-footfall shopping centres offers a practical route to market, enabling brands to trade, gather insight and scale without long-term commitment.

Dr Drinks’ performance demonstrates how the right location, format and operational support can translate venue footfall into consistent sales.

RESULTS

  • Sales grew 3.5x in three weeks, with further growth in the weeks after.

  • Performance stabilised quickly, indicating sustained demand beyond launch

  • Clear evidence that health-led F&B performs strongly in high-footfall shopping centres

Following the success of their first mid-mall launch, the brand plans to expand into other prime shopping centres in the UK – proving how the right product, in the right space with the right retail partner can work together to deliver exceptional results for retailers, venues and shoppers alike.

WHY THIS WORKED

This activation worked because it combined a health-led offer with a fast, made-to-order kiosk format and high-footfall mid-mall positioning, supported by end-to-end operational delivery

Planning to launch or trial your food brand in a prime UK venue?

Contact our Rock Up and Pop Up team to explore opportunities across shopping centres, train stations and retail parks.

Email us at marketing@spaceandpeople.co.uk

Tags: